SCHENECTADY — It was a night of songs, dance, some roller skating and waves of applause Saturday at Proctors, all in celebration of the second High School Musical Theatre Awards.

Twenty-three schools from the Capital Region participated in this year's awards ceremony, up from 16 from its premiere last year.

One big difference was the number of live performances from the Best Musical nominations. This year, nominated schools were separated by their theater budgets, into Tiers A, B and C, explained Phillip Morris, CEO of Proctors, at the beginning of the show.

When kicking off the 2.5-hour event, Morris said it was important to recognize young people in the arts.

"It's not just about the football," he said, to applause.

Albany High School was the big winner of the night, receiving four wins from six nominations, including the Best Musical in Tier A, Best Technical Execution, Best Choreography Execution and Best Actress.

Annabelle Duffy, who played Tracy Turnblad in Albany's production of "Hairspray," accepted her award in tears and disbelief.

"I think honoring students in the arts is fantastic," she told the crowd of the awards ceremony.

"('Hairspray') is a show that is about celebrating our differences," she said.

Brandon Sarti was the only winner from South Glens Falls High School's nominations, but it was for a big one: He received the Best Actor nod for his role as Sam Wheat in the school's production of "Ghost The Musical."

From the podium, Sarti pulled a folded paper from his jacket, admitting that he wasn't good at making speeches. His voice broke as he thanked family, friends and teachers.

"I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by people who support me," he said.

Sarti and Duffy will travel to New York City in June to participate in the Jimmy Awards, the national stage in which high school performers across the nation will act and sing.

But it wasn't just the students getting praise for the night. A Hudson Falls High School student had a few words for the parents — often the chauffeurs, the supporters, those who hear the songs and monologues long before they're polished — in the audience. He accepted the Best Musical of Tier B award on behalf of Hudson Falls, which put on "Into The Woods."

"Without the mothers and fathers of today, we wouldn't have the Bernadette Peters and Chip Ziens of tomorrow," he said, referring to two members of the show's original Broadway cast.

Here are the 2018 High School Musical Theatre Awards winners:

Here are the winners:

Best high school musical

Tier A

 Albany High School for "Hairspray"


Tier B

Hudson Falls High School  for "Into The Woods"

Tier C

Columbia High School-East Greenbush for "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella"

Best Actress

Annabelle Duffy , Tracy Turnblad in "Hairspray" at Albany High School

Best Actor

Brandon Sarti, Sam Wheat in "Ghost the Musical" at South Glens Falls High School

Best Technical Execution

 Albany High School : "Hairspray"

Best Set Construction 

Hudson Falls High School: "Into the Woods"

Best Student Orchestra

Bethlehem Central High School: "Disney's Beauty and the Beast"

Best Choreography Execution

Albany High School: "Hairspray"

Best Ensemble/Chorus

Voorheesville High School: "Tarzan"

Best Supporting Actress

Fallon Zell, Terk in "Tarzan" at Voorheesville High School

Best Supporting Actor

Jackson VerDerwerken, Jean-Michael in "Cinderella" at Schoharie High School